Yankees, Dodgers forecast a winter of austerity - but can we believe them?

USA Today | Nov 19

OK, who’s the wise guy who sneaked into the board rooms of the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, and convinced ownership there’s no reason to spend money to win?

These are the two richest franchises in baseball, spending more than $500 million on player salaries last year, but are acting these days as if they’re the Milwaukee Brewers.

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner revealed Wednesday that his mission still is to get the club’s payroll under the $189 million luxury tax threshold one day, just days after the Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly told the Los Angeles Times he would like to slash payroll by nearly $100 million.

If this is the most prodigious free agent market in baseball history, no one has bothered to tell the Yankees and Dodgers, which has agents scratching their heads in disbelief at the slow rate of the marketplace.

We’ve had two free agent signings worth a grand total of $9.75 million. And while the Dodgers are expected to make an aggressive bid to retain co-ace Zack Greinke, the Yankees have been involved in trade talks, but no major free agent discussions.

“I shouldn’t have to have a $200 million payroll to win a world championship,” Steinbrenner said at the quarterly owners’ meetings. “It’s been proven over and over again, right?”